The Labour party has launched a petition to ‘save’ the popular Tiger bus pass scheme – but the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) says there has been a misunderstanding over the future of the pass.

The Tiger pass, brought in during Labour Mayor Dr Nik Johnson’s tenure and used on over one million journeys, allows children and young people under the age of 25 to travel for £1 per journey.

On June 4, the CPCA’s board met to discuss the current position regarding the local bus fare cap and the Tiger pass scheme, where it was heard that “drastic action” was needed to keep the scheme going.

Fenland District Council leader, Cllr Chris Boden, put forward an emergency recommendation at the board meeting which would have seen bus fare cap money put towards the continuation of the existing Tiger pass until March 2026 – a move backed by Conservative Mayor Paul Bristow but ultimately not voted through.

placeholder image — It is hoped the Tiger Pass can be saved

A petition launched by Labour on June 12 urged Mr Bristow to “protect the Tiger Bus Pass”, claiming he refused to rule out cuts.

In a press release sent to the Local Democracy Reporting Service about the petition, Cllr Anna Smith (Labour), former deputy mayor of the CPCA, said: “I was deeply disappointed when the Conservative Mayor chose to play politics by supporting a rushed motion which attempted to force the other members of the board to choose between the Tiger Bus Pass and cheaper fares for all.”

She added: “The reality is that there are a range of options available to the Mayor to continue the Tiger Bus Pass while also continuing the fare cap. These include resource and cost sharing with external partners and reallocating currently uncommitted funding in the Combined Authority budget.”

Cllr Smith also said that Rachel Reeves’ announcement that the £3 bus fare cap would continue to be funded by the Treasury until at least 2027 was “extremely welcome and a huge boost” to local transport services.

Mr Bristow has previously confirmed his intentions to keep the Tiger pass scheme going. He did not wish to respond to Labour’s claims.

A CPCA spokesperson said: “There appears to be a misunderstanding in the press release regarding the situation and the decisions taken at the meeting.

“The budget set for this financial year, agreed in March, only allocated funding for the Tiger Pass until the autumn. At the recent board meeting, there was a clear and unanimous desire to retain the pass in a permanent form.

“However, any permanent scheme must be both sustainable and fully costed. The Transport Committee has therefore been asked to explore and evaluate viable options to achieve this.”

A comprehensive options paper will be presented to the CPCA’s transport and infrastructure committee on June 25, outlining proposals for the future of the Tiger pass scheme and the local bus fare cap before the matter is brought back to the board in July.

Cllr Smith said she was prepared to use her “knowledge and experience” to “assist the mayor in understanding the options available to him”.